by Mary Swift
Nora rubbed her forehead. “I saw things. I saw what I did as the Master Enchanter. Not just what I did, but how I made people feel. I saw what my actions did, what they’re still doing.” She looked at Constantine. “What do you think it means?”
“I think the spell is too strong. He’s not just healing the body, but the mind too. I used to hang around the council hall when they were deciding what spells people were going to cast in Firesea. They had a way to measure an enchanter’s strength. If you were too strong you had to change your spell. You must be a really strong enchanter Rowan. That’s amazing for a half mortal.”
“No it’s not. He’s Killian’s son.” Nora said.
“The fact that your father was a Founder might make a difference.”
Rowan hated hearing the past tense regarding his father.
“If you’re this strong my father will want to get rid of you.” Constantine told him.
“He let us go.” Kip said.
“For now.” Nora said. “Rowan, you probably frightened him with your spell. But he’ll figure it out. He’s not stupid.”
“Unfortunately.” Constantine murmured.
“I want you to try and heal Constantine.” Nora said.
“He looks fine to me.” Kip said.
“He’s doing better now, but he’s been very sick.” Nora replied.
“We came across a mortal woman who recommended several different types of plants.” Constantine said. “It helps with the symptoms, but I’m still dying. It’s because the Founders are dead.”
Rowan nudged Kip with his elbow. Kip cleared his throat. “Listen, I have to ask. What are you two doing together?”
“I don’t know how else to say this.” Nora took Constantine’s hand. “This is my son.”
Rowan wasn’t sure if he heard right. Beside him Kip started laughing. “He’s your son?”
“Dante made me forget him. He wrote one of his poems and erased my memory.”
“Then how do you know he’s yours?” Kip asked.
“Because I do. I am Constantine’s mother.” She looked at Rowan. “You are brothers.”
Rowan stood up and stared into the woods. He didn’t know what to think. Nora got to her feet and stood at his side. She looked up at him. “You’re so tall now.”
“Yeah.”
“Rowan, I know this is hard but-”
“Is that why I haven’t seen you for years? Because you’ve been with him?”
She fought back tears. “It took me a long time to get my memory back. We’ve been sick and travelling on foot. And I didn’t know where you were, or if you were even alive.”
That was probably true, but all Rowan could feel was anger. “I’ve been on my own since I was thirteen.”
She tried to take his hand but he pulled away. This was the last thing he had expected to hear. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Constantine stand up. “We’ve been trying to find you, to find everyone. She’s had a hard time these past few years. We all have.”
“What do you know about it?” Kip cried. “You’re a spoiled brat who doesn’t know how to lift a finger. No one wants to hear from you.”
Constantine sat down and drew his knees to his chest.
Kip scrambled to his feet. “Come on Rowan. We don’t need this bullshit. We can manage on our own.”
Rowan watched Constantine stare into the fire. Beside him Nora was crying. Lucy had told him how their father had been unwanted, how his own brother had rejected him and sent him away to Wildbush because he was jealous. If Killian could see him right now he would sympathize with Constantine and he would be ashamed of Rowan. “He’s really your son?” he asked his mother.
“Yes.”
“Do you love him?”
“I love you both.”
Rowan wasn’t going to repeat the past. Brothers shouldn’t hate each other. He stuck out his hand to Constantine. “I guess we’re family now.”
Constantine shook his hand; a smile spread over his face. “I was so happy when I found out that you were my brother.”
Rowan let go. Constantine was the last person he wanted to have as a brother. Like Kip he had dismissed him as little more than a pampered boy with an empty brain.
Nora wiped the tears from her eyes. “If it wasn’t for Constantine I would not have survived. Finding out about him broke the spell of the Master Enchanter’s robe. There are some things that are stronger than spells.”
Nora sat on the ground next to Constantine. She put her arm around him and kissed his cheek.
Kip leaned in close. “Let’s get out of here. I don’t trust him, he’s Dante’s son.”
Rowan watched as Constantine lapped up their mother’s attention. It would be so easy to hate him, but Rowan kept thinking of his father. He accepted things as they were. “I’m staying with them.”
Chapter 45
The end of Darkhill was the end of Lucy’s life. She still existed, but nothing was ever the same. One moment she was standing above Dante ready to plunge the scissors into him, then he and the robe were gone. She was left locked inside the council hall with four dead bodies.
Lucy wandered around the hall for days thirsty and hungry. She had no idea how long it took for someone to die from starvation. She had imagined that it would be a slow process. There was a pool of green water in one particular room. At first she had been afraid to drink from it, it didn’t look fit for consumption. By the third day she didn’t care. As soon as the water passed her lips she felt quenched and her stomach full. She slipped out of her dirty clothes and jumped into the pool. The water was enchanted. She found herself giggling as it took away her aches and pains.
Lucy wondered if the water would have the same effect on the Founders and her father. She dragged Killian’s body to the pool. If it could sustain her maybe it could bring him back. She pushed his body into the water; it dropped to the bottom and then slowly floated back to the surface. She was surprised to see his hair turn brown. She realized it must be his real color. He looked like a stranger; she only remembered him as a redhead.
To her relief Killian’s hair returned to its bright copper color, but nothing else happened. He didn’t come alive as she had hoped. She watched as blood floated in the water from the wound on his back. She scooped the water into her hands and tried to get some into his mouth; it dribbled back out and ran down his chin.
Eventually she pulled him out of the water, removed the arrow, and laid him out on the stone floor. Her father was dead. There was nothing she could do for him. He had become a Founder, had been made immune to nearly every spell, and yet somehow a simple arrow had taken him down. It didn’t make sense to her.
She thought maybe the original Founders could be revived. She went back into the main hall and dragged Bryn out. Lucy pushed her into the pool hoping it would revive her. Nothing happened. After trying to force the water down her throat Lucy realized that it wasn’t going to work. Nothing was going to work. Dante had won. Lucy still couldn’t help thinking that something didn’t add up. But the proof was in front of her face, they were all dead. She sat against the cold stone wall of the pool room and sobbed.
Nearly five years had passed. Lucy didn’t cry anymore. The pool kept her alive. She supposed she could go on like that for hundreds of years. Several times early on she had considered letting herself die. There seemed to be no hope of ever getting out. But then she noticed that the bodies of the Founders, which she had laid out side by side in the main hall, were not decaying. They remained as they were when they died.
Lucy knew that just because enchanters lived a long time it didn’t mean that when they died their bodies stayed intact, they rotted just like the mortals. The bodies should be decaying. The hall was not sealed tight, fresh air was coming in from somewhere. She could feel it blowing on her, but she had yet to locate its source.
She wandered from room to room until she knew every nook and cranny by heart. There was nothing to read and nothing to look at. She ended up spendin
g much of her time sleeping and pacing about. With nothing else to occupy her mind she invented a life for Arden and herself. She imagined their wedding, named their children, built their house. Every day she spent alone she thought of what they would be doing. It was the only thing that kept her sane through the long years.
She wasn’t sure why she still had hope that someone would find her. She didn’t have the sharp instincts that her father did to know what was coming. All she knew was that she wasn’t ready to give up on her life. There was nothing to do but wait.
Chapter 46
Rowan’s healing had the undesired effect of showing Nora the consequences of her actions throughout her life. She was surprised by the toll the little things had taken, but it was her time as the Master Enchanter that shocked her the most. Her utter disregard for others and her selfishness had left everyone around her devastated, most of all her youngest son.
Rowan healed Constantine of the sickness. If Constantine was disturbed by Rowan’s healing he didn’t show it. Nora supposed he had nothing to regret. Nothing he had done in his life had been of his own choosing.
They sat by the fire and ate a rabbit that Kip had caught. Rowan told them about what had happened during the last four and half years including the fact that Logan, Arden, and Paul were alive. Finnegan had been left in Firesea, and Lucy and Killian had last been seen in Darkhill with the Founders. Nora understood why the Founders would appeal to Killian. He longed for someplace to belong. She had tried to create that for him during their life in New Wildbush, but now that it was gone he would be searching for that feeling again.
Inevitably the conversation came to Firesea and whether or not to enter the circle. The most they could hope to accomplish was to depose Dante and have Rowan cure people. Kip told them that with the Founders gone any child born to enchanters would be a mortal. It was the end of them, Dante had won.
“But why aren’t you two sick?” Constantine asked.
Kip shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve been healed by Rowan dozens of times. And he’s healed my father a couple of times too. Maybe that makes us immune. Rowan must be too.”
“You’re really special Rowan.” Nora told him.
His face colored. “I don’t know, maybe.”
“Yes, you are.” she confirmed. “But can the Founders really die?”
“I think so.” Kip said. “They’ve never really had any enemies before. Other circles may disagree with them, but they know in order for us to survive they have to as well.”
“And they can actually be killed?” Nora asked. “I thought they were special.”
“They are special, their immune to our spells and they can create other enchanters. But they’re not superhuman. Any enchanter can be taken down by an arrow or a knife. It’s what makes us the most vulnerable.” Kip touched his assortment of weapons. “That’s why I carry these. No one is going to get me. I’ll kill em’ first.”
“Then Killian could really be dead.” Nora looked at Constantine. He had told her the same thing many times but she didn’t want to believe it. “And if Lucy was with him then she might be dead too.”
“Maybe they’re just hiding somewhere.” Rowan suggested.
She wished she could be that optimistic. “Maybe we should go into Firesea.”
No one said anything.
Finally Kip spoke. “Finnegan might still be there. We were supposed to help him.”
“How are we going to get in there?” Constantine asked.
“The rangers seemed pretty weak. I bet I could kill a bunch.” Kip said excitedly.
“They didn’t seem very interested in protecting Dante.” Rowan said. “When Kip cut his face they laughed. Lucy told me that when she escaped Firesea she was able to crawl under the wall. If they are as sick as I think they are they probably aren’t watching every place. That might be a way in.”
“The back gate was always was a weak point in Firesea.” Constantine said.
“What do we do if we get inside?” Nora asked.
“I don’t think we can have a plan.” Kip said. “There’s no telling what we’ll find.” He patted his knives. “But I’ll kill anyone who gets in our way. I’ve been waiting my whole life for this.”
“Or we could leave the circles and start a new life.” Nora said. “Let’s go back to Wildbush. Logan is going to be worried about the two of you.”
Rowan shook his head. “No. I have a duty to heal people.”
“My father will understand.” Kip said. “I told him we might be gone for a while.”
Nora looked at Constantine. He nodded in agreement. “Then we go to Firesea.”
Kip stood up and adjusted his weapons. “We’ll go at first daylight. I’ll be able to see better then. You three should sleep. I’ll take the first watch.” He strode into the darkness.
Nora stretched out on the ground. She and Constantine were used to sleeping anywhere. She hadn’t spent a night indoors in years. Rowan shifted uncomfortably a few feet away. She reached out her hand and he took it. “I love you Rowan.”
She thought she heard him stifle a cry. “I love you too Mama.”
Chapter 47
There were dozens of holes dug under the Firesea wall.
“Isn’t the wall enchanted?” Rowan asked.
“No.” Kip said. “A circle wall is never enchanted. It’s part of the Founder’s Code. No enchanter is supposed to be kept against their will.”
Rowan looked at the prison island. Lucy told him that his father had once been locked up there.
Constantine put a hand on his shoulder. “Not all enchanters abide by the rules.”
“Oh.” Rowan stepped back, letting his brother’s hand slide away.
Kip was busy examining the wall. “Hey! Look at this.” He pointed to a hole big enough for three people to scramble through at the same time. Kip checked his weapons. “I’ll go in first and kill anyone who gets in our way.” He started to crawl into the hole.
“Don’t go overboard.” Rowan warned. “Just do what is necessary.”
Kip grinned up at him. “Sure thing.” He disappeared under the wall. Several minutes passed. Rowan strained to hear a sound from the other side. He was expecting a clash of metal and bodies. Finally Kip stuck his head and shoulders out of the hole. “You won’t believe what it’s like. Come on.”
The three of them hurried underneath the wall. Rowan still remembered Firesea’s grandeur from when he was brought there years before, he soon found out things had changed. The circle of buildings was still there, but most of them looked as though they had been abandoned in a hurry. Doors were left open. Raggedy weather worn curtains blew out of broken windows. The most shocking sight was in the middle of the circle. There was a stack of bodies. Men, women, and children, all dead. Rowan could see the sores on their faces and hands.
“It’s worse than I thought.” Nora muttered.
“I think they’re burning the bodies.” Kip said. “Look.” He showed them a large hole filled with gray ash.
“There mustn’t be many left.” Constantine said.
Nora looked around and then suddenly pointed. “That was Killian’s father’s house.” She took Constantine’s hand. Rowan pushed down his feelings of jealousy. She was used to relying on Constantine. He should feel grateful.
“What should we do now?” Kip asked.
“Find Dante and Finnegan.” Rowan said.
“My father will most likely be in the council hall.” Constantine said. “I for one can’t wait to see him. He kept my mother from me for twenty one years.”
Rowan suddenly felt guilty for his jealousy. He had been without his mother for four and a half years. Constantine had gone almost his entire life without knowing her. “You should lead the way Constantine.” Rowan told him. “Dante owes you the most. Kip will protect you.”
“Damn straight.” Kip took a huge knife from his belt. “My fingers are getting itchy, these Firesea bastards had better watch out.”
Constantine
moved ahead, Kip stayed next to him. The magnificent cathedral with the amber spires was dark and covered with soot. Some of the stained glass windows were broken. An old man with a long beard was pacing alongside the cathedral; his robe was stained and dirty. He stared at Rowan. “Are you here to save us young man? You’re wasting your time, we’re doomed.”
“Are you Ivan Cramer?” Nora asked.
The old man stared at her. “Do I know you?”
“Yes. We met a long time ago.” She put a hand on Rowan’s shoulder. “This is Killian’s son. Do you remember your nephew?”
“Of course I remember. I’m old, but I’m not senile.” he said crossly. He eyed a protector coming down the street. “You’re fools to come here.”
The protector stopped and swayed on his feet. His face was red and marked with sores. “What are you doing here?” He didn’t sound like he cared at all.
Kip raised his knife. “We’re here to see the Master Enchanter and if you cross me I’ll cut you into a thousand pieces.”
The protector coughed. “He’s in the council hall. And put that knife away. No one cares you’re here. We’re all dying.”
“Good luck.” Ivan said. “I doubt the Master Enchanter will be so welcoming.”
The council hall was just ahead. Of all the buildings in Firesea it looked to be in the best condition. As they crossed the circle they passed several other enchanters. They all appeared to be in various states of sickness.
“I thought there would be more of a fight.” Kip said disappointedly.
“We haven’t seen Dante yet.” Nora told him.
Constantine opened the council hall door. There was a circle drawn on the floor. Inside were two people, Finnegan and Dante. As the air swirled around them the robe slipped off of Dante’s shoulders and floated up above them. Finnegan was muttering something.
Along the walls the protectors were dressed in their usual skimpy uniforms. Rowan could see that most of them were extremely ill. One was even lying on the ground. They seemed uninterested in what was happening in front of them.
